Method And System For Efficiently Routing Messages

• US 20100142472A1
• Filed: 02/11/2010
• Published: 06/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sierra Wireless America Incorporated (Sierra Wireless Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Cellemetry, LLC (Sierra Wireless Incorporated)
• Inventors: Simitses, William George, Criscolo, Michael J., Tarleton, Bryan Keith, Comer, Edward I.
• Granted Patent: US 8,060,067 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/184 Messaging devices, e.g. message centre
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

Efficient routing of a message over a data network. A first communication device sends a message to a telemetry gateway or short message arbitrator. The telemetry gateway or short message arbitrator determines the communication protocol of the first communication device and the communication protocol of a second communication device. The telemetry gateway or short message arbitrator converts the message to a data format compatible with the second communication device, wherein the message is converted to one of at least three different communication protocols. The telemetry gateway or short message arbitrator then forwards the message for receipt by the second communication device. The telemetry gateway or short message arbitrator can convert and forward the message without completing a store and forward process.

Claims

1. A communication method, comprising the steps of:

receiving a message at a telemetry gateway;

converting the message at the telemetry gateway from a first format to one of at least three different formats such that data content of the message can be received by a recipient; and

responsive to conversion of the message, transmitting the converted message from the telemetry gateway to the recipient without completing a store and forward process.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving at the telemetry gateway a registration notification from a mobile switching center; and

sending from the telemetry gateway a registration response to the mobile switching center, the registration response comprising information concerning the recipient.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first format comprises one of CDMA, TDMA, and GSM.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the at least three different formats comprises a format compatible with one of an email system, a voicemail system, or a web-based messaging system.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of sending an acknowledgment from the telemetry gateway to an originator of the message confirming that the message has been delivered to the recipient.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the telemetry gateway receives the message from a signal transfer point.

7. A method for routing a message using a telemetry gateway, comprising the steps of:

receiving at the telemetry gateway the message from a communication device;

requesting by the telemetry gateway routing information from a mobile switching center;

receiving at the telemetry gateway the routing information;

based on the routing information, converting the message at the telemetry gateway from a first format to one of at least three different formats; and

responsive to conversion of the message, transmitting the converted message from the telemetry gateway to the mobile switching center without completing a store and forward process.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising the steps of:

when the mobile switching center does not have a database entry for the recipient, receiving at the telemetry gateway a qualification request from the mobile switching center; and

sending by the telemetry gateway a qualification response to the mobile switching center.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of sending an acknowledgement from the telemetry gateway to the communication device confirming delivery of the message to the recipient.

10. A telemetry gateway, coupled to a data source, having a software module stored in a memory storage device, the software module comprising computer-readable instructions that, when executed, implement the steps of:

determining the destination of a message received from a first communication device based on data contained within the message;

converting the message from a first format to one of at least three different formats; and

forwarding the message for delivery to a second communication device in one of the at least three different formats without completing a store and forward process.

11. The telemetry gateway of claim 10, wherein the telemetry gateway is further connected to a SS7 data inter-networking system.

12. The telemetry gateway of claim 11, wherein the message is forwarded from the telemetry gateway to the second communication device using the SS7 data inter-networking system.

13. The telemetry gateway of claim 10, wherein the message passes through a mobile switching center before being received by the telemetry gateway.

14. The telemetry gateway of claim 10, wherein the software module is further configured to:

send a route request to a mobile switching center; and

receive route information from the mobile switching center.

15. The telemetry gateway of claim 10, wherein the software module is further configured to:

receive a registration notification from a mobile switching center;

send a registration response to the mobile switching center, wherein the registration response contains account and service information related to one of the communication devices.

16. The telemetry gateway of claim 10, wherein the first format is converted from a wireless access format to a format compatible with one of an email system, a voicemail system, or a web-based messaging system.

17. The telemetry gateway of claim 10, wherein the first format is converted from a format compatible with one of an email system, a voicemail system, or a web-based messaging system to a wireless access format.

18. A method for routing a message between a first device and a second device, comprising the steps of:

receiving a message having a first data format at a short message arbitrator;

accessing a database at the short message arbitrator containing a profile for the first device and the second device;

based on the profile, analyzing at the short message arbitrator whether the first device and second device communicate using incompatible data formats; and

converting the message at the short message arbitrator from the first format to one of at least three different data formats; and

forwarding the message by the short message arbitrator in the converted format for receipt by the second device.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the step of analyzing whether the first device and second device communicate using incompatible data formats comprises:

determining a mobile switching center for the second device;

determining a class of service for the first device;

determining a class of service for the second device; and

determining a type of transport to use between the short message arbitrator and the second device.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the class of service for the first device comprises at least one of short message system;

asynchronous digital data; and

data over circuit switched voice cellular.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the mobile switching center is determined based on a mobile identification number associated with the second device.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the short message arbitrator forwards the message for receipt by the second device based on the determined type of transport to use between the short message arbitrator and the second device.